Mother's wheel cleaner screwed my Bullet's chrome plating :(

[torque1989]

Hey guys, I detailed my Royal Enfield Bullet motorycle Today. The bike was very greasy and muddy due to monsoon so I clayed it, washed it, used Mother's wheel cleaner (MWC) on the very greasy rims which worked great. Since, it was mentioned on MWC that it is non acidic, i though of trying it on the greasy TCI chrome cover.

After spraying and waiting for 30 seconds, when i rinsed the TCI cover, it became this





The results of other parts detailing were good and upto m expectation coz the bike is silver colored and my expectations were quite low. MWC worked good on greasy steel rims too as expected





The fuel tank has got some defect due to the shoulder bag which i keep on it. I'm clueless on how to correct that defect. Rubbing with 3M Finesse-It Rubbing Compound didn't do anything on it. Any suggestions??



Also, the only way to regain the chrome's shine is chrome spray prob'ly. What do you guys think?

P.S - Kindly pardon the image quality, I clicked the photos from my iPhone 3GS and it was cloudy outside

[ohmy34]

your cover is cast aluminum, not chrome use aluminum polish on it. jonathan

[RTexasF]

They make four wheel cleaners, which one was it? They make one specific to aluminum which is what that part is. I'd say the paint is wearing off of the tank.

[torque1989]

your cover is cast aluminum, not chrome use aluminum polish on it. jonathan

so what precisely should be used to restore the finish?

They make four wheel cleaners, which one was it? They make one specific to aluminum which is what that part is. I'd say the paint is wearing off of the tank.

The one is used was this:

I guess, i'll have to buy a new fuel tank now

[torque1989]

Just 2 replies to my thread? People here don't know about it or what!

[James K]

The wheel cleaner you used is not made for bare aluminum or anodized surfaces. It is an excellent wheel and tire cleaner, just on the right stuff.

In your case now I would recommend Mothers Bullet Aluminium Polish and some elbow grease. That should be fixable without to much work. You should not need to buy a new one.

[James K]

Oh, after polishing a good metal sealant would be a great idea to preserve that nice shine when you are done.

To make polishing easier, something like the mothers ball in a cordless still would help as well.

[zilla]

Oh, after polishing a good metal sealant would be a great idea to preserve that nice shine when you are done.

To make polishing easier, something like the mothers ball in a cordless still would help as well.

Yeah i agree, I'd be stunned if you couldn't buff that out as mentioned in your previous post.

[Twister]

Just polish with Mothers billet polish and you should be fine.

[Twister]

I didn't see the mention of the power ball before but that's a great idea. I also use a dedicated 3" pad on my PC for polishing things like that